America's Best Pie Spots

In the never-ending cycle of boom-and-bust trendiness that moves cupcakes and doughnuts from hot to not to hot again, there is one constant: pie. We scoured the country to find the very best.

In the never-ending cycle of boom-and-bust trendiness that moves cupcakes and doughnuts from hot to not to hot again, there is one constant: pie. We scoured the country to find the very best.

More

Food & Wine

1 of 11

Ann Arbor, MI: Achatz Handmade Pie Co.

Run by cousins of chef Grant Achatz, Achatz Handmade Pie Co. uses over a million pounds of Michigan fruit each year in pies like Four-Berry and Caramel Nut Apple (Dutch apple with a half-pound of mixed nuts plus caramel poured on top). The owners opened their eighth Michigan bakery this November in Ann Arbor and also sell pies online.

Chicago, IL: Hoosier Mama Pie Company

Paula Haney made pastries at acclaimed Chicago restaurants like Trio before opening her adorable, and adorably named, Hoosier Mama Pie Company. The Hoosier Sugar Cream comes with a rich brown sugar filling. One of her top seasonal pies is cherry-berry (pictured).

Advertisement

4 of 11

Durham, NC: Scratch

Available all year round at this bakery and lunch spot: Shaker Lemon Pie, which combines macerated lemon slices that, once baked, give the filling a marmalade-like consistency. The latest holiday pie menu features Heirloom Apple Pie with Sesame Streusel and a Chestnut Cream Pie.

Advertisement

5 of 11

Greensboro, AL: PieLab

PieLab serves as a café as well as a classroom where young men and women who are just out of school can learn about business and culinary arts. The PieLab team's recipe for Cranberry Glazed Pumpkin Pie has a super-simple crust made with store-bought gingersnaps and ground walnuts, a silky pumpkin filling and a cranberry compote topping with more crunchy walnuts.

Milwaukee, WI: HoneyPie

Valeri Lucks, the co-owner and self-titled "chief people wrangler" and "pie master" at Honeypie Cafe, makes a Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie that marries two of her best-selling pies: chocolate cream and banana cream.

Advertisement

8 of 11

Napa Valley, CA: Sweetie Pies

Sweetie Pies ships baked goods including luscious seasonal pies with all-butter crusts, like the Harvest with pear, apple and cranberry. In lieu of slices, the Napa Valley café serves hand-pies and individual 4-inch pies that staff will warm to order. (The strawberry-rhubarb pie pictured will be available in the spring.)

Advertisement

9 of 11

Portland, OR: Random Order

This coffee house specializes in pies made from scratch with all-butter crusts. Bakers source from the organic Old World Apple Farm for a classic double-crust pie, and an over-the-top version in which apples are tossed with caramel and vanilla salt sprinkled on the crust.

Advertisement

10 of 11

San Francisco, CA: Mission Pie

This corner hang-out makes walnut pie, "California's answer to pecan," and other flavors with local ingredients, some from nonprofit Pie Ranch farm.

Advertisement

11 of 11

San Francisco, CA: Three Babes Bakeshop

Three Babes Bakeshop offers fun, portable pie: They bake the pastry in a jar, then fill it with ingredients like fig-and-pear syrup, mascarpone cream, fruit and toasted walnuts.

You May Like

Read More

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Keeping you in the know on all the latest & greatest food and travel news, and other special offers.